Fast-food chains push AI ordering, but 80% of customers prefer humans

McDonald's and Wendy's have emerged as the leading proponents of AI ordering automation in fast food. McDonald's introduced ArchIQ earlier this year as part of its broader "McDonald's > NEXT" initiative, deploying AI-powered chatbots at drive-through locations to handle orders. Wendy's has taken a parallel path, operating its FreshAI program since 2023. In its 2026 first quarter earnings report, Wendy's CFO Ken Cook signaled continued commitment, stating: "We are continuing to invest in the end-to-end digital experience, leveraging consumer insights to drive frequency and engagement in the app, while expanding payment options at checkout to create a more seamless experience and improve conversion."

However, customer adoption lags far behind executive expectations. Research from advisory firm Metrigy reveals a stark disconnect: approximately 80% of consumers prefer ordering from human employees rather than AI agents or digital kiosks. When asked directly, only about 22% of consumers say they prefer interacting with AI agents—yet businesses estimate roughly 40% prefer AI, a gap of 18 percentage points. Layne Haaksma, senior research analyst at Metrigy, told Fortune: "The biggest takeaway is there's a significant gap between how fast companies are moving on AI and how ready consumers are. Businesses think customers prefer AI much more than they actually do."

Jerry Jacobs, a Wharton professor of sociology and management, frames the issue differently. He argues that restaurants are operating under a false assumption: that any task a computer can perform must eliminate the corresponding human role. Instead, AI could augment labor rather than replace it. Employees could shift from handling repetitive orders to hospitality-focused roles—greeting customers, answering nuanced questions, and resolving issues machines struggle with. "You can use this as a means of making it a more satisfying customer encounter," Jacobs said. "We shouldn't automatically assume robots equal a subtraction of an equal number of human employees." He also acknowledges that while human employees make mistakes and operate under corporate scripts, this does not automatically make their replacement preferable to customers.

The long-term trajectory suggests AI ordering may eventually gain acceptance. Metrigy data show that customer preference for AI chatbots grew more than four percentage points between Q1 2026 and Q2 2026. Haaksma attributes the current lag to trust: "There hasn't been enough time from AI's introduction into where we are now, for consumers to actually have that trust in using it. AI still messes up quite a bit… those mistakes really stick with consumers." The critical question for restaurants is not whether AI will become acceptable—the trend suggests it will—but whether they will redesign roles to enhance hospitality or pursue automation purely as labor cost reduction.

Fast-food executives have embraced AI automation as a labor-cost solution, but customer behavior is pushing back harder than anticipated. McDonald's ArchIQ and Wendy's FreshAI represent years of investment in technology meant to streamline ordering, yet surveys consistently show the majority of consumers still value the human element—even in transactions that last less than a minute. The core issue, as Metrigy's Layne Haaksma explains, is a credibility gap: businesses believe roughly 40% of customers prefer AI, but the actual figure hovers around 22%, revealing a 18-percentage-point miscalculation that reflects executives' speed-to-market outpacing customer comfort.

Jerry Jacobs, a Wharton sociology professor, offers a more nuanced frame: the problem may not be automation itself, but the assumption that it must eliminate jobs. Instead of replacing workers, AI could handle repetitive ordering tasks while employees shift into hospitality roles—greeting customers, answering questions, and solving problems machines struggle with. This approach reframes automation not as cost-cutting but as role redesign, potentially creating more satisfying customer encounters. The data supports this middle ground: while only 22% of consumers currently prefer AI, preference grew over four percentage points in just two quarters (Q1–Q2 2026), suggesting that as trust builds and systems improve, acceptance will eventually rise—but only if restaurants stop conflating efficiency with elimination.

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